Rose of Decay was clearly in a fine mood upon returning to the Underdark. Although she had gained no tangible spoils from this excursion, having clashed with Ryan and slain a good number of paladins was enough to keep her spirits high for quite some time.
Yet when it came to Anbaixiu, she had ultimately failed to achieve love at first sight the way her best friend had.
Where had things gone wrong? The phylactery had clearly been delivered—what step was missing?
Before returning, Rose of Decay had a long talk with the young bone dragon lady, only to receive a single remark: "Didn't you also fail to fall in love at first sight? Otherwise, you would've tied him up and dragged him home already."
That made far too much sense, leaving Rose of Decay speechless. In any case, she would probably never understand love in this lifetime; she could only blame the fact that she had never experienced it while still alive, and after turning undead, she no longer had a heart.
Still, Anbaixiu was worth winning over. So once she understood the current situation, Rose of Decay advised him to relocate.
Naturally, moving straight to the Underdark would be best; it was a paradise for the undead. However, she couldn't take the initiative to propose it, as that might easily put Anbaixiu on guard. Strife among the undead was often fiercer than among the living: when the living fought, it was merely for gold, but the undead even had uses for one another's souls.
It would be much more appropriate to suggest the Underdark once Anbaixiu agreed to the idea of moving.
Anbaixiu was indeed considering relocating. Now that he possessed a vast personal space, moving wouldn't be difficult at all—he could simply stuff all his valuables inside and leave.
However, finding another site to rebuild a castle was not something that could be accomplished in a short time.
Designing this castle had cost him a great deal of effort, primarily because the various laboratories and storage rooms all had specific requirements—such as ventilation, lighting, soundproofing, and preservation. Construction wasn't just a matter of brute force making miracles; many details required meticulous craftsmanship, making rebuilding an immense hassle.
Anbaixiu posted in the group chat: [Moving is an option, but rebuilding a laboratory is too troublesome. It would take at least several years.]
Rose of Decay thought to herself that this was perfect. In the Underdark, she could help him build whatever laboratory he desired. Svirfneblin craftsmanship was quite good, and failing that, there were duergar and drow. Those races had plenty of skilled artisans; making a laboratory would be child's play.
Yet before Rose of Decay could offer her suggestion, someone else in the chat came up with an alternative.
[Dislikes Humans: Why run? Where else are you going to easily find a place where the undead can survive nowadays? The City of Alchemy has just entered an era of chaos; you'd do better to seize the opportunity and expand your territory. You're a lich—do you really fear being worn down in a war against dwarves and elves? If you can't win in the end, you can always run then. You're a lich; as long as your phylactery is well hidden, you can fool around however you want.]
Rose of Decay wished she could tear this vampire to shreds.
Reading this, Anbaixiu sank into thought as well.
Indeed, why should he run? Although the Kingdom of Gold, Salokma, was ruled by desert dwarves, they also practiced a policy of great integration. Their openness and tolerance were on par with the City of Alchemy; they just weren't quite as wealthy.
Besides, Anbaixiu had no fondness whatsoever for the bean sprouts of the Silvermoon High Court. If they came to seize territory, he had to leave them a few "goodies" no matter what.
Now that Anbaixiu had this personal space, his safety was far better assured. He could consider locking horns with the elves; if things went poorly, he could still make a run for it.
Thus, Anbaixiu promptly replied: [Well said. We can't let those bean sprouts have it easy.]
[Dislikes Humans: Not just the elves! Desert dwarves aren't any good either. Take them all out together!]
[Crown of the Headless Horseman: Aren't you a desert dwarf yourself?]
[Dislikes Humans: I'm a vampire. Once you reincarnate as a vampire, your former race is irrelevant! I could say you're human too, but doesn't the Ryan Empire still hunt you down?]
Reading this, Anbaixiu couldn't help picturing a bizarre image.
In the misty night, moonlight spilled over an ornate black formal suit, glinting cool and serene against exquisite silver embroidery. Deep crimson eyes emerged as the legendary vampire strolled forth... except he was stout, standing only knee-high.
The image was honestly rather awkward.
[Dislikes Humans: Anyway, whether it's desert dwarves or elves, just have at them! I can even send you a few gargoyles—guaranteed to be top-tier stuff.]
Anbaixiu seemed to smell someone stirring up trouble just for the spectacle.
[Ultraman Tiga: Senior, do you hold a grudge against both sides?]
[Crown of the Headless Horseman: Hahaha! After he turned into a vampire, the desert dwarves discriminated against him. If I hadn't happened by and saved him back then, he would've been roasted to death by the sun long ago.]
[Dislikes Humans: Hey, can't you save me some face in front of the newcomer? Besides, didn't I pay you a thank-you fee? Over a million gold coins!]
[Pale Little Skeleton: Oh? Really? Care to elaborate?]
Headless Bro seemed to have gone offline; a long time passed without another word from him.
Anbaixiu could only sigh with emotion: rich women were great, but the side effects were plentiful.
[Ultraman Tiga: Didn't you say the Kingdom of Gold practices an integration policy? Even vampires get pushed out?]
[Dislikes Humans: That policy was only adopted within the last century. Back when I became a vampire, the Kingdom of Gold hadn't yet been beaten into the ground by Ryan. While they weren't overly xenophobic, they certainly weren't lenient toward the undead either.]
Anbaixiu had only visited the Kingdom of Gold once or twice during his lifetime and didn't know much about it; only after reincarnating as a lich did he start inquiring about which nations didn't discriminate against the undead.
[Dislikes Humans: Hang in there, newcomer! Let our Elegy Poetry Society produce another sovereign like Queen Rose! A prime piece of territory like the City of Alchemy—don't let it slip away!]
[Ultraman Tiga: Understood. By the way, when will the gargoyles arrive? Do you cover shipping?]
[Dislikes Humans: Can I say that was just a polite pleasantry?]
Before Anbaixiu could object, Rose of Decay stepped in to twist the knife.
[Rose of Decay: I think not. Going back on your word disgraces the name of the Elegy Poetry Society. Are you planning to insult me as well?]
[Dislikes Humans: No, no, no! Your Majesty, appease your anger, I definitely didn't mean that! It's just gargoyles, isn't it? I'll send two your way.]
[Rose of Decay: Two gargoyles? You actually have the nerve to say that?]
[Dislikes Humans: Twenty! Fine! That's all I can muster!]
[Rose of Decay: That's more like it.]
Watching Queen Rose secure twenty gargoyles for him in a matter of two or three lines, Anbaixiu suddenly found this lady genuinely enchanting. Rich, generous, and domineering—she truly lived up to the title of Queen.
Still, gargoyles depended heavily on their materials. Cheap ones could be had for a thousand gold coins each, while those crafted from exceptionally expensive materials could reach tens of thousands.
After a thought, Anbaixiu chimed in: [Are they enchanted obsidian gargoyles? Those cost over twenty thousand gold coins to craft—I'd feel so embarrassed taking them.]
The dwarf vampire didn't reply for a long time, presumably logging off to prepare the gargoyles.
Anbaixiu felt very blessed; his friends in the Elegy Poetry Society were simply so warm and loving.
A friend who could gift him such expensive presents certainly wouldn't intentionally harm him, so Anbaixiu began seriously weighing the advice.
As for becoming a ruler or anything of the sort, Anbaixiu wouldn't even consider it. He knew his habits well; he was far better suited to being a research scholar. Forcing him to manage an empire would be nothing short of torture.
When a country didn't belong to you, the money you made was all yours. When a country did belong to you, everything within its borders was already yours—so from whom could you fleece wealth? On the contrary, whenever money had to be spent, Anbaixiu would feel as if a piece of his own flesh were being carved away.
Anbaixiu couldn't endure even a single day of such a life.
Vying for national supremacy was out of the question, but perhaps he could teach those elves a lesson and show them what the wrath of a lich looked like.
Then again, what was the current situation with the City of Alchemy?
Only now did Anbaixiu realize he had been so engrossed in his experiments that he hadn't paid any attention to it.
"Oh, right! A bunch of my subjects ran away. The Ryan people wouldn't massacre humans, so they probably fled to other domains."
This wouldn't do—absolutely not! They were all his property! Fleecing others was one thing, but how could he let others take advantage of him?
Anbaixiu decisively walked out of his laboratory and emerged outside the castle.
Fixing his bearings on the neighboring territories, he took flight straight toward them.
...
The abrupt disappearance of the City of Alchemy had an immense impact on the surrounding domains.
On the very day the entire city ascended into the sky and vanished, every lord who received word dispatched scouts to investigate.
Once it was confirmed that the city and those lofty alchemists had completely disappeared, the lords understood that war was imminent.
The more conservative ones began bolstering their defenses, while the more aggressive lords directly launched attacks on adjacent territories.
Population, gold, grain, and every other useful resource.
With turbulent times looming, lords both large and small who had once sheltered under the aegis of the City of Alchemy now had to plan for their own survival.
Weaker lords sought alliances with one another, while greater lords were already examining their maps, deciding which domain to annex first.
In just three days, more than a dozen small-scale skirmishes had broken out on the periphery of the former City of Alchemy, and the death toll had already surpassed triple digits.
Adventurers of all stripes caught the scent of bounties and commissions, joining the chaotic game.
The Porcupine Knight was an aggressive lord; in this crisis-ridden period, he chose to form alliances and strike out proactively at the same time.
The lords who had previously joined forces to subjugate Anbaixiu and then collaborated in annexing others' lands became natural allies.
The Porcupine Knight allied with them overnight, consolidating everyone's strength to raid two smaller domains at top speed. This joined all their lands into a single contiguous territory, after which they began pooling resources and constructing fortifications.
Funnily enough, even though Anbaixiu's domain lay not far off, these lords instinctively steered clear of that terrifying place. Such a grand castle was vastly superior to the run-down manors of most petty lords—easy to defend, hard to attack, and occupying an exceptional vantage point.
Yet the Porcupine Knight forced himself to hold back. Even though rumors said paladins had already purified the castle, he still dared not move in to seize it—at least not now.
The terrifying spectacle of that day had become a nightmare for him and several of his allies. Unless pushed to the absolute brink, he would never set foot in that cursed place again.
Looking down at the crude map on the table, the Porcupine Knight felt a headache coming on.
Quick though his response had been—forming an alliance with several lords that made them one of the larger local factions—his troops were still far too few. A batch had died in the lich subjugation campaign, and another had been commandeered by those paladins. With his current forces, even holding his territory securely was difficult.
The Porcupine Knight rubbed his temples and muttered to himself, "If Harvey were still here, he might have been able to give me some advice."
Once, he hadn't thought much of that apprentice mage, only hiring him as an advisor because he couldn't afford a proper wizard. Looking back now, Harvey's advice had been right every single time; it was just that he himself had repeatedly ignored it.
"Anyone capable of becoming a magic apprentice must be wiser than me. Why didn't I trust him?"
He was thoroughly kicking himself now. If heaven granted him another chance, he would definitely heed his mage advisor's counsel.
A gust of wind blew past, causing the candlelight in the room to flicker. An anxious servant hurried in to report, "My lord, there's a mage outside asking to see you."
The Porcupine Knight blurted out, "Is it Master Harvey?"
The servant shook his head. "Not Master Harvey. It's a blond elf with several companions. They look like an adventuring party."
"An elf? A pureblood elf or a half-elf?" the Porcupine Knight asked.
The servant looked troubled. "That... I can't tell, but they all have pointed ears and golden hair, and they're all very handsome."
The Porcupine Knight's brow furrowed. That didn't sound like ordinary adventurers. Why would a party composed entirely of elves appear here?
Chapter 91